In 2004.. I met this young lady Dominique fresh out of high school and she was working security…I was like whaaaat? You need to be on the street team at the radio station…she laughed it off and then joined and was everywhere…we then gave her the name D-Ali because she had a resemblance of Layla Ali…she ended up being the little sister of the team and you know how little sisters can pluck your nerves…she did, but she wanted to learn everything…she later became a CORE DJ/CORE Model..actually she introduced me to Tony Neal and the rest was history. She moved across country to Hawaii as she joined the military and showed back up in the states as an MMA fighter/mother/fitness junkie/radio personality/soldier…ladies and gentlemen my little sister in radio…D-ALI!

D, what made you jump into the army? Radio?

I first got into radio with the Flava Unit on Coast 97.3 then from there I would Hang around the station trying to learn all I could from my mentors such as, B Paiz Yo Girl Sandra, Bigg B, Meddi Meddi I would work the board and load the shows like Baka Boys, Inspirations Across America. Once I was trained up I became the board operator for the Doug Banks Show locally at the station, after that I began to do my show on Saturday Morning’s from 8-12. I also held down two other part time jobs at Sprint and working nightly at clubs as security. While working at Sprint I met a man who was in the Marines he and I talked about the service and serving our country (my father is a vet as well) and the rest is history, 7 1/2 years later strong in the ARMY!!!

Do you still consider yourself a model? What type?

Funny you ask me do I STILL consider myself a “model” because I NEVER really did. I have always been a little rough around the edges and a bit “tom boyish” BUT…. if I had to categorize myself I would say fitness….

With the “urban” model stigma, a lot of models feel they have to take booty shots, snatch their waists…how do you feel about that?

I thought you would never ask!!!!! I can get straight to the point on this one…THAT IS NOT ME!!! BE YOURSELF…. one thing I think…KNOW that kept me away from modeling for a while is I refused to step into that cookie cutter image of what today’s society deems as “beauty”… NO I do not have hair down to my butt… NO I am not high yellow …. NO I do not have more plastic in my body then a Mattel Barbie….. YES, I do have stretch marks YES I do have a lil “tooty booty” YES I am proud of my curly fro and most of all I AM PROUD of the BEAUTIFUL BROWN skin God has given me!!!! NOW… before some of you get upset…if you fall in any of the above i.e…. plastic surgery, weave altering your body etc….. I AM NOT bashing just simply stating IT’S NOT FOR D-ALI… It hurts me to my heart to see my sister’s try and be WHAT THEY ARE NOT… YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL further more ladies the first thing in a photo that jumps out at a person DOES NOT have to be “that ass…” But hey get in where you fit in….” Here is a question for you all… how about we be ourselves and we make the world conform to OUR beauty… We came from Kings and Queens it’s time we act like it!

Being my lil sis…I have been somewhat protective of you…but now you can be my body guard how did the fitness/MMA/muscles journey begin?

I have always been physically fit (mom and dad made sure) as far as BOXING,MMA, KICK BOXING, … Well we are about to get personal …I was bullied in high school..yup and some of you who will read this were probably the transgressor.. don’t worry I won’t put you on blast… you’re not worth the honorable mention …. Since I was bullied I dealt with a lot of anger issues and aggression that came out when I was home and in school… My mother …. THANK GOD FOR HER… she recognized that and number one pulled me from that school; number two introduced me into the Late Coach Morgan from the Wilmington Boxing Center.. He showed me how to channel that hatred, anger and hurt that I had into something more positive not to mention a few punches to the face calmed me down VERY quickly…. From that day on he lit a fire in me that has sustained me throughout life and my military career. I currently am a level four combative instructor for USACS (United States Army Combatives School, we teach things such has hand to hand combat, detainee operations, vehicle searches and seizures, hand cuffing, boxing, kick blocking , knife fighting and the list goes on…… Just consider us the badasses of the ARMY!!!

Ok…my Bigg B’s World readers are going to want to know single or not? And if you are…what type of guy makes you not want to be single?

I AM!!!! I don’t put limitations he does not have to be black, white, or purple… LOVE see’s no color I have had enough bad relationships to know when I have found the one. The ONLY requirement I do have is he must love and fear God…more than my right hook lol JOK…Seriously, a man of God and a little muscle wouldn’t hurt, also must be willing to treat me AND my baby girl like the QUEENS we are!!! I have learned to wait on God when he sends me my Boaz I will be ready!!!

I know women don’t like to give their measurements but it has to be hellacious finding jeans for that…just run those numbers…

Ladies STAY off the scales we girls get bogged down by what the scale says its all how you look and your body fat percentage vs your muscle!!! for a while I was 175 SOLID but wore a size 8.. Muscle weighs more than fat think about that before the next time you get on that demon known as the ……dun dun dun THE SCALE!!!! Who cares what it says as long as you are healthy and happy nothing else matters.. The next time someone ask you how much you weigh you tell them “100 and Sexy pounds!”

What do you tell a young lady that wants to get in the industry and is having a hard time trying to focus on her goals?

I would tell any young lady set REALISTIC goals and stick to them DO NOT compromise who and what you are for anyone no matter what, when you find yourself being a chameleon for so many people you will forget what your original pattern was……Don’t be a dream chaser be a dream grabber…realize some doors may be closed along the way but that is NOT a bad thing (I wish I was told that early on!) Understand that what is behind that closed door maybe something God i s protecting you from! Remember “it’s okay when it’s me and you until it’s ME OR YOU…” THINK ABOUT IT

How can we see more of D-Ali? Website, twitter, Instagram, hit it!

OKAY …. So I suck at branding at the moment but you can hit me on IG at d_ali910 or twitter ladycore910